vitamin D

vitamin D

[′vīd·ə·mən ¦dē]

(biochemistry)

Either of two fat-soluble, sterol-like compounds, calciferol or ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3); occurs in fish liver oils and is essential for normal calcium and phosphorus deposition in bones and teeth. Also known as antirachitic vitamin.

As long as you're in a green, yellow, or red area--in other words, pretty much anywhere on the map--your body will easily make vitamin D when uncovered skin is exposed to the sun's UVB radiation in June.

Current government advice is that at-risk groups, including pregnant women, children up to the age of five, adults over 65, and people with darker skin as well those who do not expose their skin to sunlight, should take a daily vitamin D supplement.

Speaker after speaker at a public conference on vitamin D sponsored by the National Institutes of Health acknowledged that there is general disagreement among well-respected scientists and medical organizations not only about recommended intakes, but about whether supplementation of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) has any impact on ailments ranging from depression and nonspecific pain to hypertension and fall prevention.

The fact that the relationship between vitamin D concentration and cognitive performance seemed more robust in the non-demented subset suggests that earlier intervention before dementia is present may be more effective," Dr.

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